Lynher Dairies Cheese Company History
Yarg Cornish Cheese was one of the first speciality cheeses to come onto the British market following the demise of speciality cheese prior to the war. The cheese was made from the milk of the Lynher herd of Holstein /Friesian cows.
Yarg Cornish Cheese was first made by Alan and Jenny Gray in Withiel, near Liskeard, on the edge of Bodmin Moor. In 1984 they sold the recipe to Michael and Margaret Horrell who farmed at Netherton Farm, Upton Cross also near Bodmin.
The business steadily grew in 1995 the Horrell family met with the Mead family who were farming in West Cornwall and interested in farm diversification.
Catherine Mead worked with Michael and Margaret to develop the business at Netherton Farm and in 1999 it was clear that the demand was greater than the production capacity at Netherton Farm. In 2001 an additional award winning production unit was built at Pengreep Farm, the Mead’s farm. In 2006 the Horrells decided that it was time to retire and to sell the farm. The Meads then extended their production facility at Pengreep and in September 2006 all the production was moved from Netherton Farm to Pengreep Farm.
Pengreep Farm is now processing 2,000,000 litres of milk a year and making just over 200 tonnes of cheese. The cheese is distributed nationally and to the US market on a weekly basis.
